California Fire Foundation

Seven-year-old Adriana Ignacio was honored for her heroism this week, after her quick thinking helped save her family from a raging fire in her Fresno home. Adriana helped guide her grandmother and two little sisters from the blaze using lessons from the California Fire Foundation's Firefighters On Your Side program. 

The California Fire Foundation has unveiled its latest venture to help firefighters and their families: The California Firefighters Endowment. Its mission: To increase the scholarship awards for the children of California's fallen firefighters.

With the rising costs of tuition, students across the state are finding it more difficult to afford a college education. The Daniel A. Terry Scholarship helps to ease this burden for children, whose parent was a California firefighter whose name appears on the California Firefighters Memorial Wall.

In Fresno, where nearly 40 percent of residents are Hispanic, fire safety messages can get lost in translation. Firefighters still recall the story of the little girl, who was killed in a house fire in Fresno last year, because her family didn't know the importance of smoke detectors.

Earthquakes. Fires. Floods. For Fresno's senior citizens, these are just a few disasters that can strike at any moment and Fresno Firefighters Local 753 has launched its latest program to reach this vulnerable community with disaster preparedness help. The program was created by the California Fire Foundation, which brings public service announcements and evacuation planning materials to elderly individuals.

Heather Yonan wants to be a school teacher when she finishes college. At 15, she lost her father, Philip Yonan, a Burbank firefighter/paramedic, in the line of duty. Yonan says it took her a few years to get her strength back after his death, and through this experience she would like to help other children who are suffering the loss of a parent.

The CFFJAC is proud to announce that St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will headline the Dinner Reception at the CFFJAC's 10th Biennial Conference. The Dinner Reception will take place Wednesday, November 18 at 7 PM. Proceeds benefit the California Fire Foundation. Tickets are on sale now.

This year's California Firefighters Memorial Ceremony will commemorate 82 individuals who paid the ultimate price to keep our state safe. The annual Memorial Ceremony honors firefighters who died in the line of duty, either from traumatic injuries in the field or from job-related causes.